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IJTIOHAl Clfe'EliVICE fiEEOfiM LEAGOE 

Office, 33 & 35 Liberty Street, 


New York, September 20, 1888. 


CONCERNING POLITICAL ASSESSMENTS. 


Sir : 

The act known as the Civil-Service Law is designed to pro¬ 
tect the employes of the government as well as to increase the 
efficiency of the service and to promote honest politics. In 
delivering the opinion of the Supreme Court of the United States 
in Ex Parte Curtis, 106 U. S., Rep., 371, Chief Justice Waite 
said: “ A feeling of independence under the law conduces to 
faithful public service, and nothing tends more to take away this 
feeling than the dread of dismissal.” 

We beg respectfully to call your attention to certain parts of 
the act mentioned, approved January i6th, 1883. 

Section 2 declares “ that no person in the public service is 
for that reason under any obligation to contribute to any political 
fund, or to render any political service, and that he will not be re¬ 
moved or otherwise prejudiced for refusing to do so.” 

Section ii provides that no public officer or employe shall 
directly or indirectly, solicit or receive, or be in any manner con¬ 
cerned in soliciting or receiving, any assessment, subscription, or 
contribution for any political purpose wjuatever, from any officer, 
clerk, or employe of the United States, or any department, 
branch, or bureau thereof, or from any person receiving any 
salary or compensation from moneys derived from the Treasury 
of the United States. 

Section 12 provides “that no person, [whether in the public 
service or not] shall in any room or building occupied in the dis¬ 
charge of official duties by any officer or employe of the United 
States mentioned in this act, or in any navy yard, fort or arsenal, 
solicit in any manner whatever, or receive any contribution of 




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money or any other thing of value for any political purpose what¬ 
ever.” 

Section 13 provides, that no officer or employe mentioned 
in the act shall remove any other officer or employe for contribut¬ 
ing or for not contributing money or valuable things for any 
political purpose. 

Section 14 provides, “ that no officer, clerk, or other person in 
the United States shall, directly or indirectly^ give or hand over to 
any other officer, clerk, or person in the service of the United 
States, or to any Senator or Member of the House of Representa¬ 
tives, or Territorial Delegate, any money or other valuable thing 
on account of or to be applied to the promotion of any political 
object whatever.” 

Section 15 provides that the violation of any provision of 
the four foregoing sections shall be punishable by fine and im¬ 
prisonment. 

The first General Civil-Service Rule as revised, and ap¬ 
proved by the President, February 22, 1888, to take effect March 
I, 1888, declares that “Any officer in the executive civil service 
who shall use his official authority or influence for the purpose of 
interfering with an election or controlling the result thereof; or 
wlio shall dismiss, or cause to be dismissed, or use influence of 
any kind to procure the dismissal of, any person from any place 
in the said service, because such person has refused to be coerced 
in his political action, or has refused to contribute money for 
political purposes, or has refused to render political service; and 
any officer, clerk, or other employe in the executive civil service, 
who shall wilfully violate any of these rules, or any of the pro¬ 
visions of sections ii, 12, 13 and 14 of the act entitled ‘ An act 
to regulate and improve the civil service of the United States,’ ap¬ 
proved January i6th, 1883, shall be dismissed from office.” 

GEORGE WILLIAM CURTIS, 

President. 

WILLIAM POTTS, 

Secretary. 

For the National Civil-Service Reform League. 



